TDP MLAs protest Go No 1 in Assembly, YSRCP condemns Black Day

Hyderabad: The AP Assembly on Monday witnessed chaos with the Opposition MLAs staging a sit-in in front of the speaker’s chair leading to a scuffle between the TDP and the YSRCP MLAs. The incident took place when the TDP members tried to enter the speaker’s well demanding an adjournment motion on Go No 1, resulting in YSRCP members coming in support of the speaker.

TDP MLAs Bala Veeranjaneyulu and Butchaiah Chowdary argued vehemently with YSRCP MLA Sudhakar, who later fought at the podium with two Opposition leaders. In light of the incident, Speaker Thammineni Sitaram suspended 11 TDP MLAs, including Atchannaidu for causing a ruckus. He appealed to the Opposition leaders to walk out of the Assembly respectfully.

Since MLAs Sudhakar from YSRCP and Dola Swamy from TDP belong to the SC community, some political parties and leaders are claiming that the pandemonium has a caste angle, by claiming that “Dalit leaders were attacked on the floor of the Assembly.”

TDP Chief Chandrababu Naidu has released a press note slamming Jagan. It read “Never in the history of Andhra Pradesh has an MLA been attacked inside the House and today is the darkest day in the Assembly’s history and it is a pre-planned attack with the encouragement from the CM Jagan.”

The speaker condemned TDP leaders’ behaviour in Assembly. He said, “This is an attack and an insult to the speaker's office. The behaviour of TDP members in this session is offensive and disgusting. They put the placard on my face by coming within an unacceptable distance of my chair. Also, TDP MLA Bala Veeranjaneyu was insulting me from the first day.”

Responding to the criticism from TDP, Minister S Roja claimed that Chandrababu planned the attack on BCs, SCs, and STs leaders. “In the past, Chandrababu said that BCs are not useful as judges and even abused BCs. He is an anti-BC person. The TDP MLAs who came to the speaker’s podium and attacked the speaker belonging to the BC community should be suspended from the Legislative Assembly,” she added.